Lancing devices are typically used for the lancing of body tissue to result in a wound for bleeding. A blood sample then may be collected from the wound for measuring the concentration of an analyte such as glucose.
Currently available lancing devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,053,930, 6,852,119, and 6,479,618 typically have a lancet carrier (including a lancet) and a spring loaded lancet driver mounted within a housing. On priming, the spring loaded lancet driver serves to store the energy required to propel the lancet carrier along the inside of the housing toward the skin of a user. The propulsion of the lancet causes the lancet to impact against and puncture the skin, causing a wound large enough for sampling blood. Such blood sampling is often painful and inconvenient.
Many users of such lancing devices suffer from physical impairments, such as arthritis, that prevent them from being able to adequately manipulate the priming means of the devices thereby failing to properly prime them. Such improper use of a lancet device often results in inadequate wound size for blood sampling and may require repeat lancing which causes more pain and multiple wounds. As a result, many patients may not be able to, or simply decide not to sample blood as frequently as suggested by their doctors in order to monitor their physiological functions adequately.